The Fusion started their march to the Countdown Cup and the postseason last weekend. Their first game was against a high middle of the standings team in the LA Gladiators. In typical Philly fashion, they had to force a game five and finished victorious.
The Fusion’s second match of the weekend was against the Toronto Defiant. The Defiant have been looking better as of late, beating the Atlanta Reign 3-2 in the Summer Showdown. In week 25, the Fusion’s bye week, they had a first tough match against a strong Eternal team. They dropped that game 3-0 but then came back and took it to the Justice 3-0 the next day. Last week the Fusion took it to the Defiant winning in dominant fashion, 3-0
Since the Fusion had the first week off, they have two games to play this week. Their first comes on Friday against the Dallas Fuel. They wrap up their push against the LA Valiant.
Philadelphia Fusion (19-2) vs Dallas Fuel (7-8)
The 2020 Overwatch League season has been an up and down one for the Dallas Fuel. The team started out slow, 0-3 before they started showing their potential. The signing of William “Crimzo” Hernandez was a huge turning point. Crimzo added some needed depth to the Fuel support line. This was also around the time that Jang “Decay” Gui-un started to shine. His Tracer play solidified himself one of the top DPS in the league. By Decay’s side is another strong DPS play in Kim “Doha” Dong-ha. While a 7-8 record isn’t great, sleeping on this team could result in a loss.
The last time the Fusion and Fuel met, the Fusion took the match 3-1. The 3-1 should not deceive fans, however. Each map was taken by one point. The Fuel kept their foot on the gas but the Fusion were just a little faster. The Fusion need to follow this same strat this weekend and make sure not to sleep on this middle-of-the-pack team.
Prediction: Fusion win 3-1
Philadelphia Fusion (19-2) vs Los Angeles Valiant (9-8)
The LA Valiant have been a pretty good team as of late. Last week, TGH had the Valiant at number nine in the power rankings. Coming into this game, they will be looking for some consistency. LA were upset in their first game in Summer Showdown by the Defiant and lost their first game in week 25 to a now questionable Reign team. The Valiant did win a game that week against the struggling Uprising. They have had a week off to collect themselves and prepare for a winnable game against the Outlaws and what should be a hard-fought match against the Fusion.
This match will be the first and only match-up of the regular season between these teams. The Fusion will have to keep in mind that the Valiant’s DPS core does not mess around. Three of the four DPS members of the Valiant have made a splash this season. Kyle “KSF” Frandanisa, Kai “KSP” Collins and Johannes “Shax” Nielsen have been on a tear and need to be taken care of to win against the Valiant. With the lack of hero pools this week, fans should expect to see an exciting DPS match-up. The Fusion has to continue what they excel at and that is getting that first kill. If the Fusion can do this consistently, this should be an easy W.
Prediction: Fusion win 3-1
Player To Watch: Eqo
The resurgence of Genji has enabled Josue “Eqo” Corona to take a position in the spotlight. Eqo is second in Final Blows / 10 mins on Genji with 11.3 and first in Genji Solo Kills / 10 mins with an even one. Since this is the last regular-season weekend, hero pools are out, allowing Eqo to go unchecked by that system the entire Countdown Cup qualifier matches. Fans should look for him to continue his ways and pop off on Genji this weekend.
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